24 Seven, the leading specialised global recruiting firm, and Cosmetic Executive Women (CEW), the not-for-profit organisation for beauty professionals, have teamed up to create the inaugural UK Beauty Salary & Job Market Report, which reflects the market climate of the beauty industry and the views of UK based beauty professionals at all levels.
The report revealed valuable insights into the market and showed increased optimism in the UK’s beauty employment market.
ENGAGING EMPLOYEES
According to the report, UK beauty professionals have seen remuneration increase by 9% for permanent employees and more for those in new positions (12%).
Although salaries rose, 1 in 4 employees are still dissatisfied with their remuneration, making them higher flight risks (as better salary is the number one reason staff cite for seeking a new job).
According to the study, 2 in 3 currently employed beauty professionals are planning a job move in the next 12 months.
When asked about their chances of finding new work:
* 91% of survey takers are sure of their attractiveness as a job candidate
* 77% believe they could easily find another job
* This confidence may be grounded in the fact that 87% report having been approached with a new opportunity in the past 12 months
“It’s an exciting time to have a career in Beauty,” said Celeste Gudas Founder & CEO of 24 Seven, “If you’re a highly-skilled beauty professional opportunity abounds in the current job market. Our study’s purpose is to provide insights that help companies craft the most appealing employment proposition to both attract and retain talent that is on the move.”
GROWTH IN THE WORKPLACE
Higher salary isn’t the only thing that’s driving attrition. Workers indicated that the opportunity to learn and grow their skill set was a major factor in seeking new job opportunities. The vast majority of professionals surveyed said they seek more appealing jobs at companies that offer promising futures, professional development, growth and clear career paths.
Of those surveyed, 59% said that their current company doesn’t communicate a clear career path – with nearly half of those without a clear plan, stating that they will leave their position within the next six months.
Company culture is also critical to beauty employees, but only 32% of staff feel like they’ve made a perfect cultural match. Culture centres on attitude, leadership and philosophy and those in the beauty industry find work/life balance to be the most important factor.
DEVELOPING SKILLS
Employees recognise that up to date skills are critical to staying employable and half proactively seek out training programmes on their own. Staff crave this personal development and those who hone new skills are more likely to be engaged at work, loyal to their company and less likely to leave.
“The speed at which business is now conducted, the retail challenges, the impact of social media, and the globalisation of beauty means that we all have to sharpen our focus and hone our skills to meet the challenge. The upside is that it means greater employment opportunities for people who have the right skills.” – Caroline Neville, President of CEW(UK)
In turn, managers are increasingly seeking out employees with soft skills and 76% see this as important. Qualities like creativity, relationship skills and the ability to learn new things are likely to get employees noticed in the workplace. Equally, staff look to their managers for leadership, co-worker relationship skills, collaboration and critical thinking.
Hard copies of the 2015 UK Beauty Salary & Job Market Report, may be requested online via http://www.24seveninc.co.uk/salary-trends
For any queries please contact Eleni, [email protected]